Hyundai Motor chairman heads to U.S.

Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong-koo on Tuesday left for the United States, where the Korean auto giant recalled more than 1.3 million vehicles last week.

According to the Seoul head office, Chung was scheduled to visit the carmaker’s U.S. headquarters in California to be briefed on sales and marketing situations there.

He was also planned to look around the production plants of Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors, located in Alabama and Georgia, respectively, officials said.

The chairman’s U.S. trip comes 15 months after the previous visit last May. Early this year, he also made visits to Europe and China to inspect the carmaker’s local operations.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week that Hyundai Motor was recalling some 1.3 million vehicles covering three models, including the big-seller Sonata sedan, for separate problems in the country.

(jylee@heraldcorp.com)